WEST INDIES TOUR OF ENGLAND, 2020
“There’s a lot of pressure on the batsmen to perform because the bowling unit have been carrying the Test team for a while now.” – Simmons. © Getty
West Indies head coach Phil Simmons is bullish of his team’s chances as they get ready for next month’s three-match Test series in England, albeit behind closed doors due to the pandemic situation around the world. West Indies, who are already in Manchester and undergoing their mandatory 14-day isolation, beat England to lift the Wisden Trophy last year at home. They’ve arrived on English shores with the intention of retaining their grip on the prize, though they haven’t been able to win a series on English soil in more than three decades.
For West Indies to even attempt such a feat, they’ll need a balanced approach to the longest format in which, as per Simmons, the bowlers have been doing the heavylifting for a while now. Simmons reckoned even for a top-class bowling unit like West Indies’, they need ample support via totals of 400 or 500 from the batters.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the batsmen to perform because the bowling unit have been carrying the Test team for a while now,” Simmons said. “It’s something that we have been on a lot, not to put extra pressure on but we need to get that total of 400-450 in order to give this bowling unit – which I think is a top-class bowling unit, the fast bowlers especially. So we need to get that 400-50 on a regular basis in order to give ourselves a chance of winning Test matches.”
While Simmons rued the absence of Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer – who turned down the chance to tour – he believed West Indies have reached England with the best possible squad that can enable them to defend the trophy.
“I think we have the best squad we can have. Unfortunately a few guys decided not to come but we are here with the best squad that we can have here. And from the way we’ve started our work, the guys have been putting in, I think we’ll be ready and looking to defend our trophy.”
“We understand the quality of these two individuals [Bravo and Hetmyer] and we know what we’ll be missing. But in situations like this we have to work hard with the guys who are here and make sure that what we’re doing is putting them in a position to fill those two shoes for the series. Hopefully whoever fills the shoes can go on and be as great as they want to be,” Simmons added.
West Indies have embarked on what can be termed as a voyage into the unknown. At a time when the pandemic is still rife all over the world, they travelled in charter flights and are staying in an exclusive hotel that is cordoned off for all other guests, and are going to be indulging in training with face masks on and while maintaining safe distance from each other.
They’re currently holed up in the team hotel, with golf simulation centre, cards and a traditional Caribbean form of entertainment called dominoes. Yet Simmons felt the side needed to get a grip on where the players were and indulge in thorough preparation for what will be the first international series since the pandemic brought the sport to a halt.
“Even with everything around and having to be conscious of the whole situation and the way the world is now, we still have to be mindful that we are preparing for a Test series against one of the top Test nations in the world. So we still have to put everything in place and do everything correctly.”
“The guys are hungry, they want to play and practise.”
© Fame Dubai
